Wednesday, 1 April 2015

I mean, it's not like the year is rocketing past a rate of knots.. it's not like it was Christmas like last Tuesday and we're already in the second quarter of the year... Complain not though, there's a distinct sniff of spring between torrential downpours and there's literally a 'grand stretch' in the evening so we're all good, right? March was a good month for trips, for travel, for Poppa Cherry getting hella better and for beauty. Ready to see some faves? 1. Smashbox Double Exposure Palette: €44 HereI know I'm a die hard brand fan when it comes to Smashbox but, truth be told, I really wasn't wowed by Full Exposure last year. The shadows felt chalky to me and seemed to run together to create any and every shade of mud you might imagine on my lids. For this reason exactly I wasn't holding out huge hopes for Double Exposure but GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY this palette is an actual babe. The 14 shades are a mixture of matte & metallic and tend toward the neutral, flattering on most every skin tone I've no doubt. The real beauty though, is when you use the (legitimately fab) brush (included) spritzed with water (I use the PhotoFinish Primer Water). Shades are transformed to metallic stunners, without the pan ever glazing over. Muddy blending problemz of Full Exposure are a thing of the past. I've genuinely stepped away from several make up counters in the past month, safe in the knowledge that I can get the same shadow effect with the Double Exposure palette. That's a rarity for a make up junkie like Moi. 2. Stella EDT: €52.50+ Here

I have a full review of this light, bright sure fire summer hit for Stella McCartney HERE. If you're a fan of the original you genuinely have to get your sniffer into the vicinity of this Rose beauty sooner rather than later. Of all the fragrances that've graced our counters thusfar in 2015, I have to say this is the one that I'm reaching for time and again, regardless of situation or even time of day. It takes a pretty special fragrance to do that to me. 3. L'Occitane Precious BB Cream: €35 Here

L'occitane's Immortelle Divine Cream is quite possibly my all time favourite face cream in a sea of face creams so when I first caught sight of their Precious BB creams containing essence of Immortelle I knew we were gonna be friends. There's 3 shades in the range and you may get excited now, fellow Celtic skin toned friends because the Fair is as close to porcelain as I've yet to see in a BB. Coverage is fantastic with dark shadows and pigmentation dealt with with ease. That's the Immortelle you see, it packs a powerful skincare punch that's it's nigh on impossible to beat, without ever feeling heavy or caked on the skin. I was lucky enough to be sent three to trial, Medium is perfect on my slightly sallower skin but Corrina is loving Light and Mama Cherry is adoring Fair. That's three age ranges and three skin types in the love. That's good going, right?If you're looking for a new summer love that will actually do your skin good as well as look incredibly good, L'occitane's Precious BB creams, with SPF 30 are seriously worth your time. Like seriously. 4. Emma Hardie's Brilliance Facial Oil: €43.09 HERE

Back in August of last year I was given a lab sample of Emma Hardie's upcoming facial oil. No blurb, no info, just an innocuous little sample pump to test out. It was a revelation! You can see my first impression HERE . We've since learned that this little bottle of brilliance contains 9 essential oils: Palma Rose, Orange, Mint, Vanilla, Geranium, Camomile, Lemon, Rose and Lavender that help to condition, hydrate and smooth the skin's texture. It also includes 5 plant oils: Grape Seed Oil, Apricot, Almond, Olive Oil and Sunflower Oil that contain Omega 3, to help restructure the skin and promote elasticity and moisturise. Top all of that off with the unique Camelina 'Gold of Pleasure' oil for its powerful anti-oxidant properties to protect the skin from free radicals and you're some way to explaining the jiggery pokery WITCHCRAFT that is this oil. Hand to God, popping this on over my night time cream I am guaranteed to wake to fresher, more radiant, brighter skin in the morning. Just this week Lorraine asked what I'm using as, get this 'You have no pores on your nose!' SERIOUSLY. I couldn't possibly tell you the ridiculous anguish I put myself through over nose pores, since my teen years but I could tell you that you and your face NEED to sample Emma Hardie's Brilliance Facial Oil, like yesterday.

I was late to the budget beauty behemoth game that is Makeup Revolution, considering Jane British Beauty Blogger & Gemma Miss Makeup Magpie have been extolling their virtues for nigh on the entire year of their brand life. As soon as my first order plopped on the mat though, I was hooked.

This Golden Sugar baked blush, baked highlighter and contour palette is stupidly good value at less than a tenner but there's nowt stupid about this solar system of loveliness. Shades are in no way as sparkly as you'd imagine once applied and I've been having great success in using Golden Sugar as I do my Hourglass Ambient Lighting palette - that is by swirling a brush through several shades and applying the lot.

Not only do these baked beauts work beautifully as blushes and highlights but I've found myself dipping into the palette for shimmery shadows too. While Golden Sugar is an absolute gem, I'd be remiss not to send you legging it toward Makeup Revolution with your sheckles in hand. Their products (especially Lorac dupes) really do have to be seen to be believed. Vive la kick ass budget beauty brands!

I know this mascara was originally marketed with a white priming mascara to be worn underneath but seriously, SERIOUSLY, you don't need it. My full blown love affair with bigger, badder, blacker lashes was reignited on a recent trip to Poland as it was the only mascara chucked in my mála - I have no notion why I ever stopped fawning over this bad boy. Yes, I'm loving budget lash batters too, yes I have a bajillion to choose from but should you be in the market for a false lash effect, zero clump, zero fall out, night on the tiles mascara? YES you should check Perversion out.

For the longest time I've followed the Morphe Brushes Insta, besotted with their brushes and the looks fans can achieve using them. As soon as I saw the Flawless collection launch though I knew I had to have 'em.

I ordered the above 5 blenders (because blending brushes are my crack) and while, yep, they took their sweet time getting to me (almost 5 weeks) once they were in my lámh it was love.

The synthetic hair is slightly scratchy on hte M511 & the M514 but all the better to pick up shadow with. My blending game has been brought on significantly and already I'm planning on buying the rest of the collection. Because ya'know.. I need more brushes. *whistles*

I've recommended Estee Lauder's Pure Color Envy Sculpting lippies to any and all that will listen to my beauty rambles. There's legitimately nothing like those saturated high shine cream sheen lippies on the market today. NOTHING. That's a rarity in a beauty world that churns out dupes in a matter of weeks as a matter of course.

The newest Lauder edit, Pure Color Envy Sculpting Shine are the most multi faceted, hydrating and illuminating lippies since. Charmed here applies like a hydrating glossy balm and wears beautifully. For me it's the perfect my lips but better colour and doesn't need the top up of gloss that I'm wont to apply TO EVERYTHING.

When I popped up this pic a work pal commented 'Oh cos you really needed a lipstick?' the truth is, once I saw Charmed I really, really did - though I'm legit afraid to visit the rest of the range on counter for fear of the splurge.

9. Google Goggles - Free Google App!

I do love a clever app, especially when it makes me feel like we're actually living in Tomorrow's World (if you get that reference highest of fives!). I downloaded Google Goggles when in Auschwitz last week, it scans photos of text and translates so I used it for the harrowing German docs on show. It was brilliant. When we got back to Krakow square though, I took a pic of the cathedral, instantly the app pinged and not only told me where I was but offered Wiki pages on each of the cathedrals and buildings around us - genius I thought.

While bleating on about its qualities to Mama Cherry, I took a pic of a recipe in her Asda magazine to try at home. Again the app pinged and gave me the option of the original recipe on site or the shopping site directly with the ingredients already added to my basket - MIND. BLOWN!

Not only is the app a cracker for translations but it's honestly changed the way I look at several things. All for free. Download it peeps. Come join me in the future wha?!

And that's what's been tickling my pickle for the month of March. Are you loving any of the above? Have you put together a post of your faves, feel free to pop your links below & let me know what you're loving!